PSYC Lecture: Dr. Rick Rawson

Dr. Rick Rawson is professor emeritus of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, Los Angeles. The title of his talk will be: “Vermont’s response to the opioid crisis: Is it working?”

Opioid misuse in New England represents a major public health crisis. Over the past 15 years the misuse of prescription painkillers, primarily via oral administration, has been supplanted by the use of heroin and most recently by the use of fentanyl and carfentanyl (increasingly via injection). Health leaders in Vermont have taken some innovative steps to address the needs of individuals who have become addicted to opioids. The development of a hub and spoke for increasing access to effective treatments has dramatically increased the treatment capacity in Vermont. This presentation will review the evidence for medication assisted treatments and will describe the hub and spoke service system.